March 2016

Tying into the story of the previous issue, Usagi Yojimbo #153 picks up events during the storm and shows us what became of a certain rabbit ronin while the villagers where finishing saving their homes from the flood. After witnessing one of the men killed by a Kappa, Miyamoto Usagi goes after the creature to exact some manner of justice. Instead of the bloodthirsty water spirit, our hero finds a frightened Kappa female and her young son who, along with the villagers, have been put in danger by a new wild Kappa who has come to the shores of the river.

Vowing to put an end to the matter, Usagi actually doesn’t fair well against the Kappa. If not for both the timely intervention of his new friend and her healing touch things could have turned out far worse for our hero in the caves under the earth. (This issue is a rarity in which we see Usagi lose what appears to be a fair fight, and lose it badly).

“Pour Some Sugar, Zombie” proves to be a major turning point for several characters. First, while on stripper brain, Liv (Rose McIver) not only helps solve a murder but also learns the truth about Drake (Greg Finley). Second, Ravi (Rahul Kohli) makes a terrifying discovery about his roommate which will have major consequences (pun intended) for everyone involved. Third, Gilda (Leanne Lapp) begins her life as a zombie only to be captured. And last, but certainly not least, the new zombie cure return Blaine (David Anders) to human but not without some rather important side-effects.

You know what they say about those who ignore the past? Unable to break the code and enhance his speed any further, Barry (Grant Gustin) decides the only man who can help him with his problem is his greatest enemy. Despite the consequences from the last time he time traveled, and against the concerns of his friends, Barry chooses to travel back in time to the events of “The Sound and the Fury” in hopes of tricking Eobard Thawne (Tom Cavanagh) into helping him. Despite warnings not to make changes to the timeline, Barry can’t help but make a few tweaks (the effects of which we begin to see as soon as he returns to the present).

The murder of a local chef and the arrival of Chloe‘s (Lauren German) mother in town provide the storylines for the latest episode of Lucifer. The restaurant poisoning of a hard father figure everyone called “Pops” certainly brings Lucifer‘s (Tom Ellis) daddy issues to the forefront while Chloe struggles to deal with her overbearing showbiz mother. And somewhere admist the chaos of where those two storylines meet Lucifer also throws in a subplot involving Maze (Lesley-Ann Brandt) finally accepting her current situation and making an unexpected friend.

I don’t remember the last time I picked up a Batman comic. That’s insane to me given how much of the Dark Knight Detective’s adventures I’ve read over the years but, like much of the New 52, I soured on this version of the character. Not surprisingly, I found myself a bit lost in a series where Batman has been largely absent for a year and Jim Gordon has stepped into a Batsuit to help keep the city safe.

Next month’s Batman #51 is the final one from the creative team which has helmed the book since the launch of the New 52 back in 2011 heading into this summer’s new reboot of the DCU. It’s not surprising to meet that Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo who decide to put Jim Gordon under the cowl (even though such a choice makes my brain explode with continuity issues) given the fact that the New 52 version of Batman is but a shadow of his former self.